Author Topic: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker  (Read 58791 times)

ANS Kamas P81

  • Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 13208
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #90 on: 06 February 2013, 21:57:20 »
Forget AMS!  Give me CASE!
Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen,
Tod und Verzweiflung flammet um mich her!
Fühlt nicht durch dich Jadefalke Todesschmerzen,
So bist du meine Tochter nimmermehr!

chanman

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 3903
  • Architect of suffering
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #91 on: 06 February 2013, 22:32:32 »
A good radio and navigation system. How else am I supposed to call in fire support?

Welshman

  • Mostly Retired Has Been
  • Freelance Writer
  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 10509
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #92 on: 06 February 2013, 23:21:36 »
A good radio and navigation system. How else am I supposed to call in fire support?

Stackpole your reactor?

"Fire control, see that cheery glow?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Make it glow even more."

-Joel BC-
Catalyst Freelancer (Inactive)

"Some closets will never contain Narnia, no matter how many times we open the door." - Weirdo, in relation to the power of hope.

chanman

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 3903
  • Architect of suffering
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #93 on: 07 February 2013, 00:04:26 »
Stackpole your reactor?

"Fire control, see that cheery glow?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Make it glow even more."

Yes, but you can only do that once per mech. Also, I wouldn't trust a Battlemech ejection system to get me far enough away from ground zero of a barrage... lastly, you could do the same thing by calling your artillery liaison/forward air controller and asking them to have the the planes/artillery just fire at you.

Welshman

  • Mostly Retired Has Been
  • Freelance Writer
  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 10509
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #94 on: 07 February 2013, 00:11:04 »
Yes, but you can only do that once per mech. Also, I wouldn't trust a Battlemech ejection system to get me far enough away from ground zero of a barrage... lastly, you could do the same thing by calling your artillery liaison/forward air controller and asking them to have the the planes/artillery just fire at you.

This was a test of your Capellan or Combine quotient. You have been found lacking in either as personal well being outweighs destroying the enemy. :)
-Joel BC-
Catalyst Freelancer (Inactive)

"Some closets will never contain Narnia, no matter how many times we open the door." - Weirdo, in relation to the power of hope.

chanman

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 3903
  • Architect of suffering
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #95 on: 07 February 2013, 00:24:57 »
This was a test of your Capellan or Combine quotient. You have been found lacking in either as personal well being outweighs destroying the enemy. :)

The more artillery strikes you spot, the more enemies you destroy. A recon mech is a valuable investment of the state and must be saved when possible. What do you think we are, profligate Davions?  :)

Also, isn't it un-samurai to use fire support to begin with? In Combine, fire support begins and ends with sword!

ANS Kamas P81

  • Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 13208
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #96 on: 07 February 2013, 03:05:30 »
Hey, samurai were pretty damn good archers too!  Fire support is entirely honorable.
Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen,
Tod und Verzweiflung flammet um mich her!
Fühlt nicht durch dich Jadefalke Todesschmerzen,
So bist du meine Tochter nimmermehr!

garhkal

  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 6605
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #97 on: 07 February 2013, 18:27:56 »
Forget AMS!  Give me CASE!

GHA>>>  forgot case.
It's not who you kill, but how they die!
You can't shoot what you can't see.
You can not dodge it if you don't know it's coming.

Giovanni Blasini

  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 7103
  • And I think it's gonna be a long, long time...
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #98 on: 08 February 2013, 16:36:01 »
As a simple refit of the -3F, how would swapping the large lasers for PPCs, and the LRM-10s for SRM-6s work out?  It's an even tonnage swap.
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes / When the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
-- Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

Jim1701

  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 1916
  • "Don't Panic"
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #99 on: 08 February 2013, 16:56:51 »
A Warhammer on steroids.

master arminas

  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 2231
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #100 on: 08 February 2013, 17:15:39 »
As a simple refit of the -3F, how would swapping the large lasers for PPCs, and the LRM-10s for SRM-6s work out?  It's an even tonnage swap.

Your close-in heat goes through the roof:  4 SRM-6 @ 4 each = 16.  4 Medium Lasers @ 3 each= 12.  28 before movement.  +8 before movement.  At range you are still at 20 with 20 heat sinks.  So Movement is +1 or +2.

MA

Giovanni Blasini

  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 7103
  • And I think it's gonna be a long, long time...
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #101 on: 08 February 2013, 18:02:58 »
Yeah, you would have to alternate in close between two SRM racks and the lasers, or the four SRM racks. Of course, double heat sinks makes everything better.
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes / When the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
-- Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

Dave Talley

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 3600
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #102 on: 08 February 2013, 18:21:03 »
A Warhammer on steroids.

I was thinking it was a ugly Thug
Resident Smartass since 1998
“Toe jam in training”

Because while the other Great Houses of the Star League thought they were playing chess, House Cameron was playing Paradox-Billiards-Vostroyan-Roulette-Fourth Dimensional-Hypercube-Chess-Strip Poker the entire time.
JA Baker

DoctorMonkey

  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 2583
  • user briefly known as Khan of Clan Sex Panther
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #103 on: 08 February 2013, 18:24:02 »
And if you give it a AC20, an LRM20 and raise the mass to 100 tonnes it's an Atlas - you need to maintain the essence of Stalker-ness
Avatar stollen from spacebattles.com motivational posters thread

ChanMan: "Capellan Ingenuity: The ability to lose battles to Davion forces in new and implausible ways"

Giovanni Blasini

  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 7103
  • And I think it's gonna be a long, long time...
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #104 on: 08 February 2013, 18:25:13 »
It's every Hatamoto variant at the same time!
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes / When the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
-- Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

DoctorMonkey

  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 2583
  • user briefly known as Khan of Clan Sex Panther
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #105 on: 08 February 2013, 18:29:02 »
It's every Hatamoto variant at the same time!


 [notworthy]
Avatar stollen from spacebattles.com motivational posters thread

ChanMan: "Capellan Ingenuity: The ability to lose battles to Davion forces in new and implausible ways"

Orin J.

  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 2785
  • I am to feared! Aw, come on guys...
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #106 on: 09 February 2013, 14:23:32 »
It's every Hatamoto variant at the same time!

Giovanni, i'm not sure if i should applaud or groan in disgust. i'm going to do both to hedge my bets.
The Grey Death Legion? Dead? Gotcha, wake me when it's back.....
--------------------------
Every once in a while things make sense.


Don't let these moments alarm you. They pass.

Giovanni Blasini

  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 7103
  • And I think it's gonna be a long, long time...
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #107 on: 10 February 2013, 00:15:37 »
Giovanni, i'm not sure if i should applaud or groan in disgust. i'm going to do both to hedge my bets.

Yeah, I get that a lot!
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes / When the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
-- Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

Drasius

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 314
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #108 on: 28 April 2013, 06:07:36 »
Given the extremely unlikely odds of people being within 9 hexes of a STK-3F for 7 1/2 rounds requiring further high explosive lessons, am I the only one who thinks that 2nd ton of SRM6 ammo could easily become another ton of LRM 10 ammo?

I love the -3F so very much, as while it doesn't have the big boomstick threat, it has enough firepower not to matter, has a tool for every occasion and thoroughly encourages riding the heat scale. Arm flipping is always a nice trick, though it's kind of needed to protect that weak rear armour. The ability to go deeper into the danger zone on the heat scale at the drop of a hat as well as the ability to still contribute while cooling down is much appreciated.

I dislike the vast majority of the upgraded paths as they seem to have lost some of this focus on rediculously overwhelming fire power in favour of some measure of heat balance. Giving someone a full alpha at range 5 on your last bins of ammo and turning a pristine heavy into a smoldering heap in under 6 seconds is a glorius thing and totally worth it.

martian

  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 8311
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #109 on: 28 April 2013, 06:19:20 »
Given the extremely unlikely odds of people being within 9 hexes of a STK-3F for 7 1/2 rounds requiring further high explosive lessons, am I the only one who thinks that 2nd ton of SRM6 ammo could easily become another ton of LRM 10 ammo?

I am quite comfortable with that second ammo bin for SRMs. That way I can use both standard HE-missiles as well as Infernos, either the same type of ammo from both launchers or different type of missiles from each launcher..

A. Lurker

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 4641
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #110 on: 28 April 2013, 07:06:35 »
Given the extremely unlikely odds of people being within 9 hexes of a STK-3F for 7 1/2 rounds requiring further high explosive lessons, am I the only one who thinks that 2nd ton of SRM6 ammo could easily become another ton of LRM 10 ammo?

Looking at the 3F's weapons array and noticing that all four medium lasers and both SRM racks firing in synch mean I'm exactly only building up movement heat that turn, I'd have to say that I feel rather comfortable having that second ton of SRM ammo just in case the first runs out. After all, who knows, I might run into more than just one opponent. :)

But then I've always seen and used the Stalker as primarily a short-to-mid range combatant whose LRMs in particular are mostly a "just wait until I get there" deal. Once I'm close enough to open up with a solid short-range barrage I'm probably under the long-range launchers' minimum anyway, so I'm unlikely to use them any further until my current business is dealt with.

AJC46

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 293
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #111 on: 28 April 2013, 12:51:35 »
i have to laugh at the original image of the stalker those crazy bendy legs that bend in both directions.

Drasius

  • Master Sergeant
  • *
  • Posts: 314
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #112 on: 28 April 2013, 16:24:21 »
Looking at the 3F's weapons array and noticing that all four medium lasers and both SRM racks firing in synch mean I'm exactly only building up movement heat that turn, I'd have to say that I feel rather comfortable having that second ton of SRM ammo just in case the first runs out. After all, who knows, I might run into more than just one opponent. :)

But then I've always seen and used the Stalker as primarily a short-to-mid range combatant whose LRMs in particular are mostly a "just wait until I get there" deal. Once I'm close enough to open up with a solid short-range barrage I'm probably under the long-range launchers' minimum anyway, so I'm unlikely to use them any further until my current business is dealt with.

What are you, a clanner? Your lancemates should be helping you pour on the fire if anything gets that close, and given that it's an assault and will likely be hanging around with heavies and other assaults, that's a lot of firepower to contend with! Not to mention if you can't deal with more than 1 opponent when you have that much close in firepower, you're doing it wrong.

A. Lurker

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 4641
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #113 on: 28 April 2013, 16:33:35 »
What are you, a clanner? Your lancemates should be helping you pour on the fire if anything gets that close, and given that it's an assault and will likely be hanging around with heavies and other assaults, that's a lot of firepower to contend with! Not to mention if you can't deal with more than 1 opponent when you have that much close in firepower, you're doing it wrong.

If I want to play the long-range fire support game in a slow 85-tonner I'll hitch a ride on a Longbow, thank you very much. ;)

BeeRockxs

  • BattleTech Volunteer
  • Warrant Officer
  • *
  • Posts: 459
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #114 on: 06 May 2013, 14:27:50 »
Anyone talking the STK-4N down has not played against it. It will beat the 3F in a straight match-up most of the time. Thoes extra 6 heatsinks mean you can use the second large laser much often, which is a lot better than the LRM10.

LastChanceCav

  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 2519
  • Repossessing the dispossessed ...
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #115 on: 08 May 2013, 11:34:30 »
As a simple refit of the -3F, how would swapping the large lasers for PPCs, and the LRM-10s for SRM-6s work out?  It's an even tonnage swap.

I've always preferred swapping the LLs/LRM10s for PPCs/LRM5s with side orders of extra heat sinks and armor --> http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php/topic,4979.msg110885.html#msg110885.

Even without customization, the Stalker is my favorite SW era assault mech.

Cheers,
LCC
Last Chance Engineering - Bespoke Battlemechs for the refined gentleperson.

marauder648

  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 8157
    • Project Zhukov Fan AU TRO's and PDFs
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #116 on: 09 May 2013, 05:34:14 »
How about a low end upgrade for the Stalker? Keep its weapons load as is but just bung 18 double heatsinks into it and any extra tonnage going on armour?  That way you have a more manageable heat load and a tougher machine but without the high expense of more modern equipment.
Ghost Bears: Cute and cuddly. Until you remember its a BLOODY BEAR!

Project Zhukov Fan AU TRO's and PDFs - https://thezhukovau.wordpress.com/

A. Lurker

  • Major
  • *
  • Posts: 4641
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #117 on: 09 May 2013, 06:03:15 »
How about a low end upgrade for the Stalker? Keep its weapons load as is but just bung 18 double heatsinks into it and any extra tonnage going on armour?  That way you have a more manageable heat load and a tougher machine but without the high expense of more modern equipment.

Would have to move some of the weapons to actually fit heat sinks #17 and 18 -- if you just leave everything in place, you end up with five free slots per arm and seven per side torso, which is sufficient room only for six more DHS after the ten that can go into the engine. But other than that it's doable (and handily demonstrates once more what makes double heat sinks the main factor separating "introductory" from "standard" tech).

I thought I'd actually done an upgrade like that already, only to find out that strictly speaking I actually didn't. But that would be more a topic for the fan designs board.

SCC

  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 8389
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #118 on: 09 May 2013, 22:24:49 »
If you move the LRM-10 ammo to the ST there's room for those heat sinks

Kit deSummersville

  • Precentor of Lies
  • Freelance Writer
  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • *
  • Posts: 10397
  • The epicness continues!
    • Insights and Complaints on Twitter
Re: Mech of the Week: STK-series Stalker
« Reply #119 on: 10 May 2013, 10:30:00 »
The ST?
Looking for an official answer? Check the Catalyst Interaction Forums.

Freelancer for hire, not an official CGL or IMR representative.

Everyone else's job is easy, so tell them how to do it, everyone loves that!

Millard Fillmore's favorite BattleTech writer.

 

Register